Emergency Contact
by Griffin Stone
Summary: It's important to have someone to help when you're juggling two lives, though Ladybug has been content to work without a contact for the last year. But when both heroes are injured, she's forced to turn to Chat's contact (interestingly code-named Gorilla) for help. (Post season three; reveal fic)
1. Silent Contact

**A/N: This is for Prophe-Cass' second anniversary on the site! She's just an amazing friend to me, and it's fun to talk with her. In fact, this idea came from her, so it's only fitting that I dedicate this one to her!**

**I'm posting it in two parts at once, because it just makes the transition between POV's more pronounced. It also takes place around a year after season three. Canon compliant for now.**

* * *

Ladybug first noticed Chat's contacts one night after patrol. Like her, he had only two contacts, as calling anyone besides each other while transformed being too risky. Unlike her, he didn't have Master Fu in his contacts. He'd never met the Guardian at that point, so he couldn't.

But who in the world was "Gorilla?"

It took a good deal of convincing for Ladybug to be okay with someone knowing Chat's identity, finally caving when Chat admitted that he sometimes needed help keeping his two lives from mixing and the fact that Gorilla never spoke. Ladybug kind of wished _she_ had someone like that, but couldn't bring herself to take the risk.

Plus, Gorilla came in handy. If Ladybug was sick or injured while a Lucky Charm couldn't fix everything, she went to Master Fu's for help. But while she could take Chat to Master Fu's, he didn't have an easy excuse to be helping Chat's civilian form. That's where Gorilla came in.

The first time Ladybug came in contact with Gorilla was late one winter night, when Chat had collapsed without warning. She'd taken him to Master Fu's, but it was clear Chat would need help getting home undetected.

Gorilla hadn't said a word when Ladybug called him on Chat's baton, but his grunts had sounded kind of worried, if that was possible. Leaving a feverish Chat at a rendezvous in the park wasn't something Ladybug wanted to do, but she couldn't risk recognizing Chat's friend. Besides, if Chat trusted him so much, she'd just have to as well.

This happened a few other times, with Ladybug or Chat calling Gorilla for a pick-up. Ladybug never saw Gorilla, and Chat never saw where Master Fu took her if the roles were reversed.

Ladybug would have been content with never knowing the other's civilian helper, but one night, over two years since they first transformed, circumstances decided for them.

* * *

A blaring alarm broke the silence of the night.

Ladybug looked quickly toward the sound, and Chat leaped to his feet. Without a word, the two heroes raced across the rooftops until they reached the source: a jewelry store.

"Oh, I've been meaning to stop here," Chat said as he and Ladybug dropped to the ground. "To get a ring for M'Lady."

"Not the time, Chat," Ladybug said, scanning the streets. Experience told her that dealing with thieves was the trickiest of her and Chat's duties. Less shouting and more sneaking. Sometimes, even a cornered thief was more dangerous than an akuma. "Do you hear anything?"

Chat perked to attention, his sensitive ears twitching. After a moment, he said, "Follow me!"

It didn't take long to catch up with the thieves by rooftop. Chat and Ladybug landed nimbly on a roof over an alley, where two people in ski masks had stopped to catch their breaths.

Chat pointed to himself, then ahead of the thieves, then to Ladybug and behind them. Ladybug nodded and made an "after you" gesture. Chat grinned and leaped into the alley, landing so lightly the thieves didn't notice him until he spoke.

"What's the rush?"

The thieves jumped and spun to face Chat. One whipped out a knife. Ladybug tensed to leap down, then froze when Chat made a startled noise.

"Oh, no!" Chat cowered away, bringing his hands up. "You've found my weakness. Small knives!"

"Uh…" Knife Guy didn't seem to know how to respond.

"Not convincing enough? Can you just imagine if it was, though?" Chat straightened. "That would be un-fur-tunate."

Ladybug rolled her eyes and dropped down behind the thieves. The knife-less thief spun, the backpack in his hand jangling. Chat's ears pricked up at the sound.

"What do you have there?" Chat asked, stepping forward.

Ladybug saw Knife Guy tense, and she leaped forward with a yelled warning. Chat jerked away from the knife lunging toward him, then Ladybug rammed Knife Guy, knocking him to the ground.

"Get the jewelry," Ladybug told Chat over her shoulder. "I'll take care of this guy."

Chat nodded and darted after the second thief, who had bolted in their momentary distraction.

Ladybug turned back to Knife Guy, just in time to roll out of the way of his knife. He turned quickly after her, knife slashing down her side.

Ladybug leaped away, hand automatically going to her side. While they knew guns could injure them, knives had yet to pierce the suits. She still didn't want to risk it, though. Thieves were unpredictable and quick, running on enough adrenaline to keep up with the heroes. She and Chat had had more close calls with normal, desperate people than akumatized victims.

Knife Guy sensed her caution and lunged. Ladybug leaped clear over him, catching a glimpse of Chat and the second thief wrestling at the end of the alley. She landed and spun on her heel, snapping out her yo-yo. It struck the man's hand, causing him to drop the knife.

Ladybug leaped forward while Knife Guy curled over his hand. She kicked him away, and flicked the knife under a dumpster with her foot. Landing lightly, Ladybug twirled her yo-yo as she approached the thief.

_Bang!_

A gunshot! Ladybug spun on her heel, heartbeat quickening when Chat gave a startled cry.

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug yelled.

Chat, having backed from the second thief, leaped forward again with a yell of "Cataclysm!"

Ladybug was about to race to her partner's side, when Knife Guy ran into her from behind. She staggered, giving a yelp as pain flared below her left ear. She jerked her elbow back, striking the guy in the stomach. It sent him staggering and brought an arc of pain down the side of her neck. She spun, roundhouse kicking a second knife from his hand.

"No more games," Ladybug grit out.

Ladybug twirled her yo-yo and wrapped it quickly around Knife Guy. She jerked it tight, pinning his arms to his sides and his legs together. Knife Guy over-balanced and toppled backwards. Ladybug spared a second to tie the loose end of her yo-yo to a dumpster handle, then turned back to her partner.

Chat was struggling for the gun while pinning the squirming man with one hand. While Ladybug ran toward them, Chat finally snagged the gun. The gun turned to ash, infuriating the man.

Yelling, Gun Guy kneed Chat hard in the stomach. When Chat stumbled back, Gun Guy drew his leg back and kicked Chat _hard_, prompting a breathless yowl. Gun Guy scrambled to his knees, but that was as far as he got.

Furious at the sight of Chat curled up on the ground, Ladybug held nothing back. She wound her arm back and punched the man right in the jaw. The thief toppled limply backward.

Ladybug glared down at the thief, chest heaving from the brief fight. Gradually, her adrenaline faded. Ladybug blinked, startled at the anger she'd felt. Shaking her clenched fists loose, Ladybug turned to her partner.

And immediately tensed again.

Chat had rolled onto his back, but was heaving for breath. Both hands were clamped against his left side, and the dim light of a nearby streetlamp showed how pale he'd suddenly gone.

"Chat!" Ladybug dropped to her knees. "What happened? Where are you hurt?"

Chat let out a huffing breath. "F-follow my finger, Bugaboo."

Follow his… Ladybug looked back at his hands. One finger was tapping. She didn't understand, then something dribbled down his side. Something red.

"You were shot?!"

"Right f-first try, Bugab-boo," Chat said. He blinked heavily, words slurring even more. "F-irst pr-rize."

"Hold on." Ladybug swept Chat's limp hands away and clamped her hands onto his warm, slick side. "What happened?"

"F-faster than a-a sp-peeding b-bullet… n-not Ch-Chat."

"What?"

"N-not f-fast…" Chat's eyes rolled back.

"No, no, no! Chat!" Ladybug pressed harder, suddenly aware of the blood pooling under Chat. "Come on, stay with me, kitty!"

Chat only groaned softly. Ladybug looked quickly around. She had to find her yo-yo, call Master-

Master Fu was gone. With no memories and probably halfway across the country, Master Fu would be no help.

So where could she take Chat? Master Fu's place was still empty, but could she risk it? Going to her own house was a definite no. Hospitals were too risky, yet…

Ladybug's frantic eyes found Chat's baton laying nearby. Of course!

Using one hand, Ladybug picked up the baton. Ignoring the red she smeared on the baton, she located the contacts and called Gorilla.

Gorilla responded with his usual grunt, and Ladybug wasted no time.

"I need your help! Chat Noir's been shot, he's unconscious, and I don't have anything to stop the bleeding!"

Gorilla grunted. Ladybug looked up, teary eyes finding a street sign so she could rattle off an address.

Giving a final, "please hurry!" Ladybug hung up.

It felt like an eternity, but it was barely five minutes before Ladybug heard an approaching car. She stiffened when a limousine pulled up across the alley, then just felt confused about who stepped out of the driver's seat.

What was Adrien's bodyguard doing out here in the middle of the night?

The bodyguard looked around, then noticed the two heroes. Considering his size, the man moved with impressive speed to kneel on Chat's free side.

Well, better help than none, Ladybug figured. "He needs help. I-"

The bodyguard gave a familiar grunt.

Ladybug's mind went blank. Okay, how did Chat know Adrien's bodyguard? Maybe she shouldn't have been so shocked. Adrien _did_ sometimes call his bodyguard "the Gorilla" and she'd never heard the man speak.

Gorilla pulled out a roll of bandages. He pushed Ladybug's hands out of the way, then wrapped the bandages around Chat's side with surprising gentleness. He grunted when red started to bleed through the cloth, then scooped up Chat.

"He's going to be okay, right?" Ladybug asked.

Gorilla remained silent, and Ladybug found herself following him to the limo. Gorilla cradled Chat in one hand while he opened the door, then stepped back and waved at Ladybug to get inside.

Ladybug took an automatic step back. "No, I can't. It's bad enough that I saw you, I can't see where you take him!"

Gorilla "humphed." He looked pointedly down, and Ladybug followed his free hand pressing against Chat's side.

"You… you need me to keep pressure on the wound?" Ladybug guessed.

Gorilla nodded and jutted his head toward the car. Ladybug hesitated, then felt blood run down her neck. She cringed, having completely forgotten her own wounds. How was she going to explain those to her parents?  
Gorilla grunted, startling Ladybug back to the present.

"Okay… okay, I'll help," Ladybug said. She climbed into the back of the limo. "But we have to hurry. Chat's only got fifteen minutes before he turns back."

Gorilla responded by dropping Chat across her lap and closing the door. Ladybug steadied Chat with one hand, and pressed the other against his wounded side. Chat gave a distressed mewling sound.

"Sh, it's okay," Ladybug murmured as Gorilla started up the limo. "I'm here. We're going someplace safe. It's gonna be okay."

Ladybug continued to murmur comfort to her partner until the door was opened. She looked up, unsurprised to find herself at the Agreste mansion.

Chat's contact was Adrien's bodyguard, so where else would they go? Did Adrien know his bodyguard aided the feline hero? The mansion was big enough to house a team of heroes and their families, it would be easy to hide a single injured hero.

Grunting and a slight pressure on her wrists startled Ladybug. She instinctively tightened her hold on Chat, then blinked back to the present to realize it was just Gorilla taking Chat.

"O-oh, sorry, I got distracted."

Gorilla grunted and raised an eyebrow. He gently took Chat from Ladybug and stepped back, allowing Ladybug to slide out and stand.

And… just lean against the car for a second. Her legs didn't seem to realize they were supposed to hold her upright. Maybe if the ground wasn't tilting that would help. And she felt like she was moving?

Ladybug opened eyes she didn't remember closing and stared hard at the pavement moving swiftly by, despite her not moving. It took her an uncomfortably long time to realize that Gorilla had an arm around her waist and was carrying both her and Chat with ease.

"Um…"

Gorilla walked around the edge of the building to a side door, then paused. He grunted, and Ladybug hesitantly reached out and turned the knob. Gorilla nodded, then opened and closed the door with his foot.

Both ignored the blood Ladybug's hand left on the handle.

Without putting down either hero, Gorilla silently made his way through dark halls Ladybug had never seen. She automatically stayed silent, even though she wanted to ask where they were going or ask to at least be allowed to walk.

Chat started moaning, making Gorilla tense. Ladybug hurriedly reached out and took one of Chat's hands. Chat squeezed her hand tightly back, but settled back into silence.

Gorilla came to an intersection in the halls and hesitated for the first time. Ladybug looked up as he grunted and nodding, seemingly coming to a decision. He turned left and walked swiftly until coming to another door. Ladybug once again turned the knob for Gorilla, then clamped her jaws against a gasp as Gorilla stepped into Adrien's room.

_Adrien's room!_

Gorilla went to the couch and sat both heroes down. When he stepped away, Ladybug tried to stand. But her hand in Chat's and the weight of his head dropping onto her shoulder kind of ruined that option.

While Ladybug tried to decide whether or not to slip away from Chat, Gorilla closed the room's massive shades. Then, he flicked on the light.

Ladybug squeaked against the sudden brightness and squinted. In whispered rush, she demanded, "What about Adrien?!"

Gorilla shrugged and moved into another room, the bathroom. Ladybug looked worriedly behind her, where Adrien's bed was shielded from the door by the skate ramp.

But, the bed was empty. Did he have some sort of field trip? No, she'd know about that. Was his fencing class away at some competition?

Gorilla returned with a First-Aid kit, which he set on the table. Ladybug eyed the kit. Tons of bandages, gauze, a suture kit, about three bottles of painkillers, tape, braces, and that was just on the surface!

"How often does Chat get hurt?" Ladybug asked because, sure, they always were getting bumps and bruises, but… those extra strength painkillers? She was pretty sure you didn't just find those in the stores!

Gorilla grunted, eyes briefly showing worry before returning to blank. Ladybug shoved back shame at not having noticed Chat's injuries in the past. Suddenly, she was grateful to Chat's "emergency contact."

Gorilla knelt on Chat's other side, where the wound was. Ladybug thought it looked like the wound had stopped bleeding, but it was hard to say with his suit already soaked in…

He'd lost a lot of blood.

"Are you sure we shouldn't take him to the hospital?" Ladybug asked. Chat's ring beeped. "He's only got a few minutes until he changes back! I gotta-"

Gorilla halted Ladybug's escape with a firm hand on her shoulder. He gestured to her, then did something with his hands that she recognized as sign language.

"I don't know sign language," Ladybug said regretfully.

Gorilla grunted. He took a clean cloth, then leaned forward and pressed it to the side of Ladybug's head. He pulled it back, showing Ladybug the bloom of red covering it.

"Oh… oh, boy, how am I going to explain this?" was the first thing Ladybug said. "How's Chat going to explain a _bullet wound?_"

Gorilla grunted and handed Ladybug another cloth, which she pressed to her own cuts. He grabbed a pair of scissors from the first aid kit. Ladybug watched him try to cut the fabric away from the wound. Before she could suggest pulling the suit down, Chat's ring rapidly beeped.

"What?!" Ladybug yelped. "It should've been long-"

Ladybug clenched her eyes just in time for a bright green glow to envelop Chat. She didn't dare open them, and she barely dared breathe.

There was a dramatic groan, then Plagg's voice complained, "Ugh, what did you do-"

"Don't say his name!" Ladybug squeaked.

"Huh? Ladybug? What are you doing here?" Plagg asked, sounding like he was chuckling.

"In case you hadn't noticed, Chat is kind of unconscious," Ladybug snapped. "And he won't let go of my hand."

"What did he do?"

"He got himself shot by a robber." Chat abruptly whimpered and jerked closer. Ladybug turned her still-closed eyes and murmured, "It's okay. Are you sewing him up?"

Gorilla grunted, and Ladybug had to trust he knew what he was doing.

Plagg humphed. "Looks like this starving kwami's on his own for food."

"You aren't very sympathetic," Ladybug commented.

"If-" Plagg gave an odd-sounding hiccup, "-wouldn't keep putting himself in danger, this wouldn't happen."

"Um… how often does it happen?"

"Eh, not too much," Plagg said, to Ladybug's relief. "He'll be fine tomorrow."

"Not with a gunshot wound," Ladybug said.

Chat tried to curl closer to Ladybug, mewling miserably. With both her hands occupied, Ladybug set her head against the top of Chat's. Eventually, Chat's whimpers faded, and Ladybug heard Gorilla walk away.

"Is he going to be okay?"

Gorilla grunted. A moment later, Plagg chimed in.

"The Gorilla says he'll survive. The bullet went straight through and didn't hit anything important, as far as he can tell."

Ladybug sighed. "That's good. But, how's Chat going to explain how he got hurt?"

"Well, you could detransform, and you can tell both your parents that he was protecting you from a robber."

"What? No!"

"Come on! It's not a lie, it's true!"

"Maybe, but Chat and I can't know each other's identities!"

Plagg sighed and mumbled something under his breath. "We'll figure something out. You'd better get going, though, before-" again, that odd hiccup, "wakes up and starts babbling."

Ladybug nodded and adjusted Chat so she could stand. Luckily, the dizziness was gone, so she pulled her hand away from Chat's.

Well, tried to.

Chat might have been unconscious, but he had a tight hold on her. She pulled and twisted, but Chat refused to release her. And to add to her guilt, Chat proceeded to mewl, louder and louder the longer she tried to free herself.

Eventually, Ladybug huffed and stopped trying to free herself. She gave Chat the best glare she could manage with her eyes shut.

Plagg burst out laughing. "Someone doesn't want his Lady to go!"

Ladybug turned her head pleadingly in the direction of Gorilla's footsteps. "He won't let go."

Gorilla grunted.

"The Gorilla said you should stay. That your head looks bad," Plagg said. "And I don't blame him. That's a lot of blood."

"I think it's Chat's," Ladybug said, feeling sick because it wasn't like that was any better.

"Ladybug. Uh… trust me, that's not all-" another hiccup.

"It barely hurts!" Which was… suddenly concerning all of the sudden.

"Two reasons, shock and your pain tolerance is much higher when you're transformed. The fact that-" -hiccup- "-passed out, must mean he lost a lot of blood. It's really the only way for you to pass out while transformed unless you were fighting for a long time."

"So, basically, I'm going to be in bad shape when I detransform?" Ladybug clarified.

"Yep."

Ladybug groaned. "_How_ am I explaining this one?"

"I told you-"

"We can't see each others' identities!"

"Okay, okay, don't get your spots in a twist." Plagg sighed. "But you can't leave-" -hiccup- "-all alone like this!"

"What's with the hiccup?" Ladybug had to ask.

"Protective measure. Kwamis can't say the name of their holder around someone who doesn't already know."

Made sense. Especially considering Plagg would have blabbed Chat's identity five times now.

"I'll have to stay transformed for as long as I can," Ladybug decided aloud. "Master Fu said we'll heal faster when we're transformed."

"True," Plagg agreed. "But not if Tikki's tired after everything."

"I didn't use my lucky charm."

"No, but just fighting can strain the transformation, especially if you lose blood and go into shock."

"I'm not in shock!"

Plagg hummed. "Then why did the Gorilla have to carry you inside?"

Ladybug sputtered. "You didn't see that!"

"No, he told me."

Ladybug didn't respond, not wanting to admit that she'd forgotten Gorilla was in the room. How could someone that big move so silently?

"So, I should probably go now," Ladybug decided.

Gorilla grunted from somewhere behind her, so Ladybug turned so she could open her eyes. Gorilla pointed to her, then signed something.

"He wants to know if you need a ride," Plagg translated.

Ladybug hurriedly shook her head. "No, no, it's bad enough that I know where Chat goes, I can't…" She had to stop and close her eyes when the room started to spin.

"Uh… Ladybug?"

"I'm fine," Ladybug said.

"Maybe-"

"I'm fine."

"Ladybug!"

Ladybug's eyes snapped open. Plagg was floating in front of her, eyes worried.

"I think you lost more blood than you think," Plagg said hesitantly. "Head wounds bleed a lot."

Ladybug pulled back the cloth she still had pressed against the side of her head. She winced at the amount of blood on it, wondering if she was done bleeding or if it was just wishful thinking. Feeling a new warm trickle, she replaced the cloth.

"I just need to get home," Ladybug said.

Plagg grunted. "If you're sure."

"I am." Ladybug nodded, then realized something. She groaned. "But I left my yo-yo tied up around one of the thieves."

Plagg snickered. "How do you plan on getting back? Don't tell me you're walking this late at night."

Ladybug sighed. "Even if I had an excuse, I don't have my phone to call my parents to pick me up. I might have to walk."

"Woah, I wasn't being serious!" Plagg squawked. "You're in no shape to walk that far!"

"Plagg, I'm not the one unconscious on the couch," Ladybug said.

Gorilla grunted to catch Plagg's attention, then signed. Plagg slapped a paw to his forehead.

"Now why didn't I think of that!" Turning back to Ladybug, Plagg explained. "If you detransform, then change back, you'll have your yo-yo back, right?"

"I think so," Ladybug said. "I've never tried it."

Plagg shrugged, hiccuped, then continued, "-does it all the time, and his baton returns. You should be fine."

"Plus, this will give Tikki time for a snack!" Ladybug said. She wriggled her captive hand. "Now if only I had a way to get Chat to let go."

"You might have to wait until he wakes up," Plagg said, snickering.

"Oh, I hope not." Ladybug sighed. "Maybe Tikki will have an idea." She looked at Gorilla, who made a questioning gesture. "Chat might need something before I'm gone, so you should probably stay. If Chat trusts you to keep his secret… well, I'll trust you with mine."

Gorilla's expression didn't change, but he did nod. Pushing back the ever-present worry of someone else knowing her identity, Ladybug smiled back.

"Tikki, spots off."

A disconcerting chill ran through Ladybug as she detransformed. She shuddered and closed her eyes, finally feeling a pounding ache in her head.

"Ow, Marinette, what happened?" Tikki gasped. "Marinette, what are we doing here?"

"Chat was hurt, and this is where his contact took us." Marinette had to take a deep breath. She opened her eyes to Tikki's worried face. "We… we have to get home soon."

"Marinette, you don't look so good," Tikki fretted.

"I'll be better once I transform." Marinette fumbled with her purse and pulled out a macaron. It slipped from her fingers, and Tikki darted down to catch it.

"Marinette, you can't go anywhere like this!" Tikki said.

Protesting again that she was fine felt redundant… and complicated…

And when had she sat down?

"Marinette!"

Marinette blinked heavily, wondering why Tikki was in her face and yelling. Her parents were going to hear if she kept it up.

"Uh… Tikki?"

That was Plagg, and why was he in her room? Wait, no, she wasn't at her house, her parents wouldn't hear, but maybe Alya? No, that wasn't right...

Someone groaned, and Marinette was pretty sure it wasn't her.

"Oh, you have to get up-" Tikki hiccuped instead of saying her name, and that wasn't right. Kwami weren't supposed to do that unless-

"M'Lady?"

The drowsy mumble was all Marinette heard before darkness swept over her.


	2. Making (Poor) Excuses

Alya was at the Dupein-Chang bakery bright and early the next morning, ready and waiting when Tom opened the door.

"Hey, Mr. Dupein-Chang!" Alya said, ducking under his arms. "Is Marinette ready?"

"Haven't seen her this morning," Tom said, turning the closed sign to open. He was used to Alya's excitability in the mornings. "She went to bed early last night, though. She's probably distracted with her designs. You can go on up."

"Thanks, Mr. Dupein-Chang!" Alya said, hurrying toward the back of the bakery. "Morning, Mrs. Dupein-Chang!"

"Morning, Alya," Sabine said. "Big day planned?"

"For sure! Adrien's got a photo shoot today, but Nino, Marinette, and I are totally catching him afterwards for ice cream. Then we've just got to get him away from his bodyguard." Alya grinned. "But I can't tell you how. Wouldn't want you to be an accessory to kidnapping."

"Oh, heavens, no. We can't have that." Sabine smiled and shooed Alya toward the door. "Just be sure you bring your cohorts here for lunch."

"Will do, Mrs. Dupein-Chang!" Alya ran through the house until she reached Marinette's trapdoor. "Marinette, time to stop daydreaming about Adrien and rescue him for real!"

Alya hopped into Marinette's room, but Marinette wasn't in sight.

"Huh. Marinette, are you sleeping in?"

Alya climbed into the loft. At first glance, the bunched-up blankets appeared to cover someone but Alya pulled the blankets back to reveal just a pile of pillows.

"Suspicious…" Alya said, eyes narrowing.

Alya checked the balcony next, but that was empty as well. Adding to the oddity of Marinette's absence, the skylight access to the balcony was unlocked. Alya knew for a fact that Marinette kept it locked, though.

Alya checked the other parts of the house -avoiding the bakery just then. Finding nothing, she returned to Marinette's room and frowned at Marinette's desk.

"Weird." Alya checked her phone. "She's already gone, but she didn't leave me a message or tell her parents?"

Slightly worried now -it was so unlike Marinette to vanish without telling anyone- Alya dialed Marinette's phone.

_Bzz… bzz..._

Alya looked at the loft. She followed the buzzing, finding the corner of Marinette's phone poking out from under a pillow. Alya hung up and snatched Marinette's phone. She stared at it for a long minute, then dialed a new number in her phone.

"Come on, pick up," Alya muttered as the phone rang.

Finally, on the fifth ring, she heard Nino's sleepy, "Alya? A little early, isn't it?"

"Nino, is Marinette there?"

There was a brief silence, then, "Huh?"

"I'm at her house now, but Marinette is gone. Her phone's here, but I can't find her!"

"No, uh, no, she's not here," Nino said, sounding more awake. "Are you okay?"

Realizing her voice had started to shake, Alya took a breath before saying, "It's just so weird. Marinette _never_ takes off when we have plans and she _never_ leaves her phone here. And her parents never saw her leave!"

"That's not like Marinette," Nino said. Alya could hear him shuffling around. "What if Adrien invited her to ride along to the photo shoot and she forgot to tell you?"

"She would," Alya admitted. "And I guess Mr. and Mrs. Dupein-Chang could have been too distracted to notice when she left?"

It wasn't a very convincing thought, but it was all they had to go on.

"Meet you at Adrien's?" Nino offered.

"On my way!"

Alya slipped past Marinette's parents -who were, admittedly, too busy to notice that Alya didn't have Marinette in tow- and ran for the Agreste mansion.

* * *

Nino was waiting when Alya arrived.

"Well?" Alya asked, panting.

"Just got here a minute ago." Nino held up his phone. "Adrien's not picking up, either."

Alya took a deep breath and let it out in a whoosh. "You don't think they both decided to ditch everyone for the day, do you?"

"And face you after? Adrien likes to live," Nino said with a chuckle. "Besides, how could they sneak past this?"

Alya looked at the large gate as Nino gestured. He had a point. What was Marinette going to do, stack trash cans on top of each other to climb over? Unlikely, even for Marinette.

"It's worth checking," Alya said, pressing the buzzer.

The teens waited for a minute, then heard Nathalie's flat voice.

"Yes?"

"Hey, we were just checking to see if Marinette was here," Alya said.

There was a brief silence. "No, she isn't."

Alya hid a wince. "Um, okay." She looked at Nino, who shrugged. "Could we come in? We need to talk to Adrien."

"He has a photo shoot in an hour," Nathalie said warningly.

"We'll be quick!" Nino said. "We just have to ask him something."

The teens held their breath and waited. With a barely a creak, the gates swung slowly open. Alya and Nino silently fist-bumped and hurried to the door, where Nathalie allowed them in.

"You have five minutes," Nathalie allowed. "Follow me."

"Thanks for this," Nino said. "We won't talk long."

Nathalie simply hummed and continued walking. Nino clasped his hands behind his back and didn't try to talk any more. Alya followed at the back of the group, studying the mansion with a reporter's practiced eye.

Sure enough, there wasn't any sign of Marinette. How Marinette could escape Nathalie's keen eyes was beyond Alya, anyway, but it distracted her from her worries, at least.

Nearly to Adrien's room, Alya's eyes were drawn to the carpet. She was used to the carpet being perfectly flat and clean, like nobody had ever walked on it. How that happened, Alya had to wonder, but that was beside the point.

It didn't stop her from noticing that the carpet was ruffled in odd places, like someone had been scrubbing marks out and hadn't had time to vacuum the whole thing.

Alya glanced up as the group stopped. Her eyes widened, and she leaped forward as Nathalie reached for the doorknob.

"Wait!"

"What is it?" Nathalie asked shortly.

"Um, tell me it's just my imagination, but…" Alya pointed toward the knob. "What does that look like?"

Nathalie looked at the knob, then drew in a sharp breath.

Nino blinked and leaned closer. "Is that…?"

"Blood," Nathalie hissed. She swung open the door. "Adrien!"

Seemingly forgetting the two teens behind her, Nathalie charged into Adrien's room. Alya was quick to follow, and not even Nino hesitated with the possibility of his friend being hurt.

Alya scanned the room as Nathalie halted. The room was in its usual pristine state, only Adrien's phone on the desk being out of place. Adrien himself was missing, and his bed was neatly made.

"Adrien!" Nathalie called.

"Yes?"

Everyone spun to see Adrien poking his head out of the bathroom. He blinked, obviously surprised at the trio, then stepped fully out.

"Nathalie? Is everything okay?"

Nathalie gave a barely audible sigh and cocked her head slightly back. Alya glanced at Nino, who was only staring, then focused back on Adrien while Nathalie composed herself.

Adrien was in his usual outfit. His hair was wet, and he had a towel slung loosely over his shoulders. He kept fiddling with the ends of his jacket, though he stopped when he noticed Alya's staring. He looked completely normal… except when he dropped his hands, Alya noticed his ring was missing. Must have left it in the bathroom.

"Adrien…" Nathalie trailed off.

Alya jumped in. "Have you seen Marinette?"

Adrien twitched. "Uh, yeah, actually."

"This morning?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I wasn't informed that Marinette was here," Nathalie said sharply.

Adrien winced. "Oh, yeah… sorry. She just came by for a minute, I didn't think it would hurt."

"She was here? When? Is she still here?" Alya asked, only pausing when Nino put a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry. I haven't been able to find her, and I was getting worried."

"She's fine." Adrien winced again. "Except she fell and hit her head on the table. My bodyguard offered to bring her home, but she insisted on going alone." He glanced around. "I think he followed her."

Nathalie sighed and drew a hand down her face. "I assume that's why there's blood on the doorknob."

Adrien's flinch was a little too harsh to be normal surprise. He composed himself quickly, though, and answered Nathalie.

"Yes, she was bleeding and she must have gotten some on the handle. Sorry, Nathalie."

"It is fine, as long as no one is seriously injured." Nathalie sighed. "I have things to see to. Be ready for the photo shoot in an hour."

"I will, Nathalie," Adrien assured the assistant as she left. He then looked at Alya. "I told Marinette to go home, but she might have gone to the park. I'm doing a photo shoot there soon."

"I know," Alya said carefully. "Marinette and I were going to meet you there."

Adrien blinked. "She did say she'd see me later. I didn't know you'd made plans to."

"We were going to surprise you." Alya shook her head. "I just don't get that girl sometimes."

Adrien shrugged, then winced yet again.

"Dude, you okay?" Nino asked.

"Yeah, I… I think I just twisted something last night," Adrien said, tugging at his jacket.

Alya raised an eyebrow at Adrien's twitchiness but shrugged it off, more concerned with Marinette's absence. "I'm going after Marinette. Hopefully she went home… you know, I'm not even going to check the bakery. See you guys at the park."

"Hey, can we catch a ride with you?" Nino asked Adrien. "You're ready, right? Come on, help a bro out!"

"Uh… I…" Adrien sighed, making Alya narrow her eyes. "I'll see if my bodyguard is back."

Alya waited for Adrien to leave before commenting, "Something's wrong."

Nino looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"You didn't see it? Adrien's never that jumpy. And the way he was walking?"

"He just hurt himself," Nino said dismissively.

"Has he never felt pain before?"

"Alya!" Nino thought for a second. "I don't actually think his dad would allow him to get hurt."

Alya sighed. "You're missing the point."

"Alya, he's just having an off day. How would you like to have a friend bleeding all over your doorknobs this early in the morning?"

Alya huffed at Nino's reasoning. Maybe because she was so worried about Marinette, but she was sure Adrien was hiding something. Then again, what could he be hiding? And why would he hide anything from his friends?

* * *

Adrien returned with news the trio could take his limo to the park. Alya didn't talk during the ride, focusing on Adrien. Aside from moving more slowly than normal, he acted fine. Her worry was making her paranoid, Alya decided.

Luckily, Marinette was sitting on a park bench just inside the park. She perked up when the friends entered. She looked like her regular self, save for the bandages on the left side of her head, and… her earrings were missing.

"Alya! Nino!" Marinette stood gingerly, one hand hovering over bandages. "How did you know I was here?"

Alya threw her arms out. "You were missing. Where else would I find you? What happened to you, girl?"

"Ah, I told them about you hitting your head. On my table," Adrien jumped in.

"I was talking about why she left without telling me," Alya said, half-glaring.

"I tried to call, but I forgot my phone at home," Marinette said. "I didn't mean to worry you."

Alya sighed, but smiled. "No biggie, just don't do it again. How's your head?"

"Hurts," Marinette admitted.

"Maybe we should just go home," Nino said. "You should really be laying down."

"I'm fine!" Marinette said, waving a hand.

Adrien leaned closer, then glanced at Alya. "She's not normally this pale."

"Not. Helping." Marinette hissed.

Adrien shot her a playful grin. Marinette reddened, but it seemed to be more in anger than her usual embarrassment. That's when Alya realized Marinette hadn't stammered or acted flustered for even a second.

"Girl, you need to sit down."

"Huh? No, I'm fine."

"Trust me. You aren't okay."

"Alya," Marinette said in exasperation, but allowed herself to be led to a shady spot of the park. "Honestly, I'm fine."

"Sit."

Marinette sat. Adrien and Nino had followed, and Adrien sat next to Marinette. Alya glanced at him, wondering if he was paler than normal, too. She knelt and put a hand to Adrien's forehead.

"Uh…" Adrien raised an eyebrow. "Marinette is the one with the hurt head."

"Your skin is clammy," Alya informed him. "I think you're both sick."

The possibly sick teens glanced at each other, shrugged, then faced Alya. If Alya didn't know any better, she'd say they had come to a silent agreement.

"Maybe we should get home," Adrien said.

"Yeah, it's kind of hot." Marinette fanned herself with her hand. "Does anyone else feel hot?"

Oh, there had definitely been some silent communication there.

"You're right," Alya said carefully. "I'm calling a doctor."

"No!" Adrien and Marinette all but shouted.

To top it off, Adrien rocked forward when Alya reached for her phone. He abruptly jerked back with a hiss, pressing a hand to his side.

"Dude, what is going on?" Nino demanded as Adrien gingerly sat back.

Marinette jumped in. "It's just that, uh, today, when I was- er, was falling! Adrien tried to catch me, but I think he pulled a muscle or something!"

"Adrien said it happened last night," Alya said.

"Maybe he made it worse, I don't know," Marinette said, starting to sound panicked.

"What is going on?" Alya asked, exasperated. "Are the two of you sick, or just hurting?"

"Hurting," Adrien said, grinning sheepishly.

"Because you fell?" Alya clarified.

Adrien shrugged. "That or because we got between two bank robbers, and I was shot and she was cut with a knife."

Alya would have dismissed the claim, given the outlandish claim and joke in Adrien's voice. Would have brushed off their continued caution in moving. Would have ignored the shock flashing on Marinette's face and her elbow driving sharply into Adrien's side.

Would have, if not for what happened next.

Adrien's eyes widened, but he didn't move for a second after the strike. Then, slowly he curled inward. Hands clutching his side, Adrien folded in on himself until his face was against the ground.

"Adrien!" Marinette yelped.

"I'm good," Adrien said, voice muffled by grass. "Did anyone else notice?"

While Alya could only gape at her friend curled up on the ground, Marinette scanned the area.

"No," Marinette said.

"Good. Now get down here before they wonder."

Marinette snagged Alya's wrist and dropped to the ground, dragging Alya with her. Nino, confused as he was, dropped to lay near the group.

Alya pushed herself onto her elbows, waiting while Adrien shifted into a looser position. Waited while Marinette and Adrien held a brief, whispered conference. Then Adrien lifted the edge of his shirt to reveal red-speckled bandages.

"Why-"

Marinette clamped a hand to Alya's mouth, while Adrien did the same to Nino.

"Be quiet!" Marinette whispered, withdrawing her hand. "Nobody else can know."

"Know that Adrien…" Alya shook her head. "You didn't really face off against robbers, did you?"

"Nooooo," Adrien drew out the word. Marinette glared at him. "What? A meow technicality."

Nino pushed Adrien's hand away. "Dude, did you hit your head, too?"

"Yes, he did," Marinette said, not taking her glare from Adrien.

"Aw, come on." Adrien rolled onto his back. "Please?"

Alya leaned closer to Nino and muttered, "Definitely hit his head."

Nino nodded and stood. "Come on, Adrien. We should probably get you back to bed."

"No, we have to act normal," Adrien said, not moving. "And that means no doctors."

"Adrien." Alya braced a hand on either side of Adrien's head so she was staring straight down at him. "Just be straight. Did you, or did you not, face robbers last night."

Adrien grinned. "Ladybug and Chat did."

"Ch-Adrien!" Marinette burst out. She groaned and grabbed her head.

Alya exchanged a worried look with Nino. "Girl, you're going home. You, too, Adrien."

"We can't," Adrien said. "If a doctor looks at us…"

Nino took a deep breath. "...dude."

For a moment, no one moved. Finally, Marinette growled and stood.

"C'mon."

"M'l-uh… Marinette?" Adrien stood.

"Oh, just stop," Marinette said. "I can't think straight enough for any excuses. We need them to cover."

Adrien lit up. "Positive?"

"Yes."

"This way."

Watching Adrien drop a dramatic bow, nearly drop himself, then give a wide grin to Marinette, an impossible idea occurred to Alya. "Are you-"

"Ah, ah, not now," Marinette said, wearily grabbing Alya's arm. "Come on, we've got maybe half an hour before the shoot starts."

Alya and Nino were practically dragged from the park and into an alley. Marinette and Adrien released their friends and stepped back.

"How did it work?" Marinette asked, digging in her pocket.

"Pretty well. Tikki was right about the healing factor," Adrien returned, pulling something from a pocket in his jacket.

Marinette winced. "Yeah. Plagg tried his hardest, but he is the embodiment of destruction."

"Maybe you should have kept Tikki."

"If I had, you definitely wouldn't be standing right now." Marinette smirked at him. "Kitty."

"My greatest thanks, M'Lady."

Wait, wait… Kitty? M'Lady? Alya was beyond concerned about her friends now.

Before Alya could move, Adrien held out Marinette's earrings. Marinette took the earrings and handed Adrien his ring. Both put on the jewelry. Light flashed, then two small creatures appeared.

"A-are those… kwami?" Nino asked.

Alya reflexively elbowed him.

"Uh, er… I think they're called that, at least? Not that we -I!- would know about… you know… kwami."

Alya resisted the urge to facepalm.

Marinette gave them a positively mischievous grin. She fed the red-and-black-spotted kwami a cookie.

Again. Wait.

Alya looked at the red kwami, then to the second kwami. Black, big green eyes, feline ears…

"Do you want to show them, or should I?" Marinette asked Adrien.

"After you."

"Alright." Marinette grinned. "Tikki, spots on!"

"Plagg, claws out!"

Alya closed her eyes against the light, opening them to… Ladybug and Chat Noir.

"Please don't freak out!" Chat yelped.

Alya blinked, wondering what her face was like. Then she looked at Nino and saw he had his hat clenched in his teeth. She turned back to the heroes. Took a deep breath.

"What. In the world?!"

"Surprise?" Ladybug said, grinning sheepishly.

"I've got to be dreaming, this is impossible!" Alya rubbed her head. "Maybe I hit my head at some point."

"Nope, just Ladybug." Chat leaned against his baton. "No, seriously, she might have a concussion. I mean, she agreed to this."

"Only because it hurt too much to think up an excuse Alya would take," Ladybug said. "But, transforming really helped and… I'm wondering if it was such a good idea."

"Too late!" Chat piped up.

"Excuse me?" Alya planted her fists on her hips. "Do you think I can't keep a secret?"

"You've dedicated the last two years of your life trying to figure out Ladybug's secret identity," Ladybug defended herself. "I didn't know how you'd react!"

Alya rolled her eyes. "I wasn't ever going to make her -your- identity public. I know how important it is that Hawkmoth doesn't figure it out."

"Heh… right. I know, I know, it's just that the less people who know, the safer you are."

"Look, nothing changes as long as Hawkmoth doesn't know that I know, alright?"

"You've got a point."

Nino abruptly gasped. "My best friend is Chat Noir?!"

The two heroes shushed Nino, and Alya sighed.

"Nino, if I can freak out silently, so can you." Alya focused on the heroes. "So, why show us now?"

"We need help covering our injuries," Ladybug said. "When we're transformed, our pain tolerance and healing speed goes up. But once we turn back, we're back to where you came in."

"Can't even stand?" Alya supplied.

Ladybug winced. "I was trying. Chat really shouldn't, either, but he was using the Ladybug Miraculous for about four hours before. The Ladybug has faster healing abilities."

"Well, it's a good thing we planned on kidnapping him this afternoon," Alya said.

Chat blinked. "What?"

"But how did this happen?" Alya asked.

"We took on some robbers. As Ladybug and Chat Noir," Ladybug said.

"Adrien really got shot?" Nino looked at Chat. "How are you still standing?"

"It went right through," Chat said, like that made it any better.

"And then you…" Alya's eyes narrowed. "When did this happen?"  
"Last night," Ladybug said.

"Last night?"

Chat laughed. "Yeah, how do you think she hit her head?"

Alya looked disbelievingly at Ladybug, and got a sheepish shrug. "Really?"

"I detransformed and passed out from shock. When I woke up, Adrien had put the pieces together and called me Ladybug. I was trying to get away, but fell. Adrien tried to help, but I think he just pulled the stitches. And, well, it was too late by then. We decided to just try and go about the day."

"You pulled that one off so well," Alya said.

Ladybug hunched her shoulders. "I'm still not over the reveal myself, and my head hurts."

"All the more reason to get some more people in the loop," Chat said.

"You've gone two years, why start now?" Alya asked.

"We need help." Ladybug sighed. "Ever since Hawkmoth exposed the others, I've been afraid to let anyone else get a Miraculous. It's just too dangerous! But that means it's just Chat and I, and… and I'm getting tired. When the last Guardian of the Miraculous left, I didn't have anyone to help me when I'm transformed."

"Let us help." Alya grabbed Ladybug's hand. This was her _friend_ and she needed _help!_ "Give Nino and me back our Miraculous and-"

"I can't. Hawkmoth knows who you are."

"So, we switch Miraculous," Nino said. Everyone looked at him. "What? When you two switched Miraculous that one time, half the city thought Ladybug and Chat Noir were actually gone. If the Turtle becomes a girl and the Fox becomes a boy, trust me, nobody is going to suspect a thing."

"Let us be there for you," Alya said. "In fights or after them. If you need a place to crash, just come to my place. I can cover for you to your parents. 'Girl emergency, Mrs. Dupein-Chang, Marinette just _really _needs some girl time.'"

Ladybug chuckled, and Alya could see some of the tension leave her.

"Alright," Ladybug said slowly. She smiled. "I missed the team."

* * *

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed, and happy anniversary once again, Prophe-Cass!**


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